James Brown

Soul on Top James Brown Limited edition

It’s hard to believe, but “Soul On Top” is American musician James Brown’s 28th studio album. Speaking about this album, which was originally released in April 1970 on the King label, the “Godfather of Soul” once said that he was a “jazz man” at heart. Recorded in November 1969 at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, California, under the direction of drummer Louie Bellson and his 18-piece jazz orchestra, and arranged by Impulse! -star Oliver Nelson, features – thanks in no small part to the contribution of saxophonist Maceo Parker – a groovy, swinging, and exceptionally spirited collection of jazz standards, show tunes, and middle-of-the-road hits, as well as a new arrangement of Brown’s funk classic “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag.” The album immediately entered Billboard magazine’s Top LP charts and remained there for ten weeks! Reviewing the Verve reissue for “The Village Voice” in September 2004, Tom Hull said: “This extends Ray Charles's omnivorous big-band soul, with Brown reinventing standards in front of Louie Bellson's orchestra, which arranger-conductor Oliver Nelson barely manages to discipline, so caught up is the band in the singer's excitement. In Brown's discography, just a curio. But in the whole history of big band jazz, there's never been a singer like him.”

To mark the 70th anniversary of Verve Records, Universal Music Japan is releasing a new series presenting the legendary catalog of the renowned label in impressively mastered, high-resolution sound quality. The limited edition Japan SHM-SACD (Single Layer) comes in a mini LP cardboard sleeve with OBI strip, making “Soul On Top” an absolutely collectible disc!

This title is an SHM SACD. This format is the further development of the single-layer SACD and uses a particularly light-transparent plastic (Super High Material). It allows a much better readability of the pit-land structures on the surface than is possible with hybrid SACDs. Universal's SHM SACDs are generally re-digitized to DSD from the albums' master tapes without any changes. SHM SACDs can be played on any SACD player. Please do not use L'Art du Son or alcohol-based cleaning agents. - Please note: All titles are designed by Universal Music as limited edition collector's items for the Japanese market.